Curious about credit card lingo? The BestCards glossary provides helpful definitions to hundreds of terms – both common and uncommon – that you may see as you navigate the world of credit cards and personal finance. We constantly add entries to our directory, so check back often to refresh your knowledge of the credit card industry’s vocabulary.
- 5/24 Rule
- 1099-C
- Account Hold
- Account Holder
- Account Number
- Account Statement Closing Date
- Account Takeover Fraud
- Accrual Rate
- Acquirer
- Acquisition
- Add-On Rate
- Additional Cardholder
- Adjusted Balance
- Adverse Action
- Adverse Action Codes
- Adverse Credit History
- Affinity Card
- Air Miles
- Airline Alliance
- Airline Credit Card
- Alternative Methods of Payment
- American Express
- Amortization
- Annual Fee
- Annual Percentage Rate
- Application
- Application Fee
- Application Fraud
- Approval Response
- Arbitrage
- Arbitration
- Association
- Authentication
- Authorization
- Authorization Code
- Authorization Date
- Authorization Only
- Authorized Amount
- Authorized Transaction
- Authorized User
- Automated Clearing House
- Automatic Payment
- Automatic Teller Machine
- Available Credit
- Average Daily Balance Method
- Award
- Bad Credit
- Balance
- Balance Chasing
- Balance-to-Limit Ratio
- Balance Transfer
- Balance Transfer Credit Cards
- Balance Transfer Fee
- Bank
- Bank Account
- Bank Card
- Bank Holding Company
- Bank Identification Number (BIN)
- Bankruptcy
- Basis Point
- Billing Cycle
- Billing Statement
- Blackout Dates
- Borrower
- Bottom Line
- Business Card
- Card Churning
- Card Issuer
- Card Member
- Card Member Agreement
- Card Reader
- Cash Advance
- Cash Advance Check
- Cash Advance Fee
- Cash Advance Rate
- Cash Back
- Cash Card
- Cash Flow
- Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
- Chapter 9 Bankruptcy
- Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
- Chapter 12 Bankruptcy
- Chapter 13 Bankruptcy
- Charge Back
- Charge Back Period
- Charge Card
- Charge-Off
- Charge-Off Rate
- Chip and Pin Cards
- Closed Loop
- Co-Branded Card
- Co-Signer
- Codeshare
- Collateral Savings Account
- Collection
- Collection-Proof
- Commercial Bank
- Common Carrier
- Concierge Service
- Consumer Credit File
- Contact Chip Card
- Contactless Chip Card
- Credit Bureau
- Credit Bureau Risk Score
- Credit Card
- Credit Card Act of 2009
- Credit Card Number
- Credit Counselor
- Credit Freeze
- Credit History
- Credit Inquiry
- Credit Life Insurance
- Credit Limit
- Credit Monitoring Service
- Credit Muling
- Credit Obligation
- Credit Rating
- Credit Report
- Credit Reporting Agency
- Credit Score
- Credit Union
- Credit Utilization Ratio
- Creditworthiness
- Cross-Collateralization
- Currency Conversion Fee
- Current Balance
- CVV
- Cycle Date
- Data Breach
- Debit
- Debit Card
- Debt Consolidation
- Debt-to-Income Ratio
- Debt-to-Limit Ratio
- Debtor
- Default APR
- Default Rate
- Deferred Interest
- Deleveraging
- Delinquent Account
- Depreciation
- Digital Wallet
- Direct Bank
- Discount Rate
- Discretionary Income
- Dispute
- Dormancy Fee
- Dormant Account
- Double-Cycle Billing
- Due Date
- Effective Date
- Electronic Funds Transfer Act
- Embossed
- EMV
- EMV Cards
- Encryption
- Equal Credit Opportunity Act
- Equifax
- Evergreen Clause
- Excellent Credit
- Exempt Property
- Experian
- Expiration
- Expired Card
- Fair Credit Billing Act
- Fair Credit Reporting Act
- Fair Isaac
- FAKO Score
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
- Federal Funds Rate
- Federal Trade Commission
- Fees
- FICO
- Finance Charge
- Financial Institution
- Fixed Payment Schedule
- Fixed Rate
- Fleet Cards
- Flight Segment
- Floor Limit
- Foreign Transaction Fee
- Fraud
- Fraud Alert
- Fraudulent Transaction
- Fraudulent User
- Go-To Rate
- Goodwill Deletion
- Goodwill Letter
- Grace Period
- Gross Pay
- Guarantor
- Hard Inquiry
- Hold
- Hotel Credit Card
- Identity Theft
- Inactive Account
- Inactivity Fee
- Instant Approval
- Interchange Fee
- Interest Rate
- Interest Rate Cap
- Introductory Period
- Introductory Rate
- Issuer
- Joint Account
- Joint Credit
- Keep and Pay
- Late Payment Fee
- Lender
- LIBOR
- Line of Credit
- Linked Transfer Account
- Loyalty Programs
- Magnetic Stripe
- Margin
- Merchant Agreement
- Merchant Bank
- Merchant Category Code
- Minimum Finance Charge
- Minimum Payment
- Money Market Rate
- Monthly Periodic Rate
- Monthly Statement
- National Bank
- National Issuers
- Negative Cash Flow
- Negative Information
- Net Pay
- Net Worth
- New Balance
- NFC
- No Credit History
- Office of Comptroller of the Currency
- Online Bill Presentment and Payment
- Open-End Loan Products
- Open-Jaw Travel
- Opt Out
- Over-Limit
- Over-Limit Fee
- Overdraft Protection
- Partner
- Payment Due Date
- Payment History
- Penalty Rate
- Per Transaction Fees
- Periodic Statement
- Personal Identification Number
- Piggybacking
- PIN Cashing
- Plastic
- Point of Sale
- Point of Sale Terminal
- Pooling
- Positive Cash Flow
- Post Date
- Preapproval
- Preapproved
- Prepaid Card
- Prime Borrower
- Prime Credit
- Prime Rate
- Processing Date
- Promotional Rate
- Purchase Rate
- Qualification Period
- Qualifying Ratio
- Refund
- Regulation Z
- Reloadable Card
- Remote Deposit Capture
- Repayment Plan
- Returned Payment Fee
- Revolver
- Revolving Balance
- Revolving Credit
- Rewards Card
- Rewards Earning Ratio
- Risk-Based Pricing
- Schumer Box
- Secured Credit Cards
- Security Code
- Service Charge
- Settlement Bank
- Spending Category
- Standard APR
- Statement
- Statement Balance
- Status Match
- Stoozing
- Stored-Value Card
- Student Credit Cards
- Subprime Credit Card
- Tabling
- Teaser Rate
- Terms and Conditions
- Thin File
- Tiered Rewards
- Total Finance Charge
- Transaction
- TransUnion
- Travel Notification
- Truth in Lending Act
- Truth in Savings Act
- Two-Cycle Billing
- UDAAP
- Universal Default
- Unsecured Credit Card
- User Authentication
- Usury
- Utilization Ratio
- Validation Code
- Variable Interest Rate
- Visa
- Visa Issuer
- Visa Merchant
- Void
- Wall Street Journal Prime Rate
- X
- Yield on Earning Assets
- Z Score
- Zero Balance
- Zip-Zap Machine